PROPECIAHELP: Persistent Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & discussion forum

I recently found out I have varicocele, and I'm curious if this is a coincidence or not. I've noticed it for awhile now but today it was especially enlarged and aching again(probably related to a cycle I just started) so I finally looked into it and diagnosed myself pretty easily.

You can easily examine yourself to check if you have it.

According to Wikipedia:

Symptoms of a varicocele may include:

* Dragging-like or aching pain within scrotum.
* Feeling of heaviness in the testicle(s)
* Atrophy (shrinking) of the testicle(s)
* Visible or palpable (able to be felt) enlarged vein, likened to feeling a bag of worms

Before I took fin I never had aching and didn't notice the enlarged veins (that doesn't mean they weren't there though), so I wonder if its somehow related? Or just a coincidence?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varicocele

I have hyroccole on one side, varicole on the other side, peyronies and also the suspension ligiment is all but withered away.I am good mechanically, but have way reduced sensation (as in : I have to look with my eyes to validate that I am still erect and penetrating partner.

I am wondering if blood flow could be the common denominator and am going on T cream and low dose viagra to see if it helps.

_________________
My story - $20K of HRT and I have the lowest 3-ADIOL-G of anyone here - AND NOW: PEYRONIES

http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3941

I stangely enough had a coil embolization done on the varicocele in my left testicle 2 months before I stopped taking propecia and, as you can see in my story, I am currently experience post finasteride hell. Before any of the huge side affects of propecia started to show - I started to get a pain where the varicocele was - like a shooting pain in the vein that eventually spread to abdomen and legs. I did a follow up with my urologist literraly a week before my crash and he told me that the varicocele was gone and he had no idea what the pains could be because if they were from the procedure they should have been felt immediately after - not a month later. Now my testicles are starting to atrophy and theres tons of shocking pain coming from all over my testicles - apparently though some of the pain could be a varicocele coming back which can happen with my procedure. I didn't notice my varicocele until a few episodes of pain happened - nothing constant just hurt like hell for an hour or so and then gone for months (this was before taking propecia) and I had a sperm test done that showed I might become infertile because of it so I had the procedure done (while on propecia - who knows maybe it was propecia destroying my sperm already). Questionguy are you saying you got the varicocele veins after stopping fin?

Yep i'm pretty sure i got varocele too!
My left testicle hang down sooooooo far.. also massive testicle shrinkage. ( i read varocecel happens more in the left testicle due to the way our arteries or veins are different for each testicle.)
I noticed a muscly fibre thing in my scrotom( like a bag of worms)
It hurt really bad when i touched it and both my testicles felt horrible after for a few minutes...
I'm going to my doctor soon to confirm.

I also have a varicolcele and was diagnosed with this a few years ago, when I was trying to have a child with a girl. I didn't think much of it, since we have so many different sides.

I have the dull ache in my nuts from time to time, but I don't really have any other pain.

I do believe there could be connection here with the blood flow issue and loss of sensation when having sex. I researched this yesterday and a Varicocele often hurts blood flow. I also read that if this continues it can cause tissue to die, which would explain the loss of sensation that we experience.

I really hope there are other options to deal with this other than surgery. I'm certainly not in a rush to go under a knife. Read up on ridding your body of the Varicocele. There are very encouraging studies that suggest most men increase their testosterone levels after.
I pray the sensation thing can be repaired as well.

There is a guy online offering "natural" non surgical treatment for varicocele. I ordered some. Will see how it goes.

I hate to jump to conclusions but this might explain the constant ache I have in my penis. Although I had my penis looked at by a urologist about 4 months ago and he said it looked "normal". Of course he also told me that Fin was "completely safe" and all my side effects must be psychological. That sound familiar to anyone?

Boston332,

I always skeptical of those kinds of things. Please let us know if you see any improvement at all from it.

I mentioned the whole varicocele thing with my endo today. He kind of blew it off. He said the procedure is controversial as to wether it helps men with being fertile again. I mentioned the studies I found that it has been shown to dramatically improve Test levels in most men. He didn't really have much to say about it.

I will be meeting with a uroligist to discuss this though, so I'll keep you guys updated.
It's good to get more than one opinion.

In general my experience has always been the endos wanna think it out and the urologists want to cut and ask questions later. I bet you the urologist will be at least open to the idea of surgery. Seems cut and dry, if an echo shows you have a blockage you'd have to address it somehow. I think Goldstein has made a few million doing these surgeries. I dont think you'd have too much trouble finding someone to do it if thats the issue.

Boston332,

I need to do a lot of research and educate myself on the procedure and other options available. I really need to educate myself. I have quite a bit of time, since my apt is more than 2 months away.

Have you done some research? Are you willing to consider this procedure?

I really dont think this is the issue with me. I had a urologist look at me about 4 months ago and I cant see anything that looks like a blockage. However, I want to schedule an echo to be on the safe side soon as I get the time.

Boston332,

What do you mean by that? how would you be able to see something that looked like blockage? They way I understood it, is that you will merely see veins showing through your sack.

Also what is an echo?

Doesn't this turn up to be a problem with veins/arteries not opening and closing appropriately? This is controlled by smooth muscles, the same muscles that control the prostate, erections, ejaculation, blood pressure, etc.

I think if we figured this out we could win half the battle. The problem is so many things affect this...kidneys, nerves, etc.

NOS?

I think it goes deeper into the nerve impulses and basic functions that control widening and narrowing of the veins. Like the central organs that work together to communicate what needs to be done are experiencing noise in the communication channels. This means a nerve problem or brain misfire, most likely a combination of factors.

I think your right Martin. I posted a similar thing before regarding the kidneys.

Google varicocele and kidneys and you will see the link between the two.

Also, Check out this site below. Scroll down and then click on adrenal glands. You can see the adrenals are located right above the kidneys. I didn't realize this. I wonder if this has some correlation to the adrenal fatigue that many of us have.

http://www.healthopedia.com/pictures/varicocele-enlargement-of-the-veins-of-the-spermatic-cord.html

Here's a thread on a possible connection between adrenals and varicoceles. What's even more intersting is troubledfinuser is posting on that thread and there is another guy on there who is an expropecia user.

http://forum.mesomorphosis.com/mens-health-forum/varicocele-adrenal-dysfunction-hypersynthesis-134254115.html

read through it. There is a guy on there that claims that a varicocele often leads to hypothyroidism. I'm not sure if it's merely to an issue of andrenal fatigue and a loss of cortisol or what.

Boston - just so happens that I have also now got thyroid issues coincicding with the varicole. So that author may be onto something.

_________________
My story - $20K of HRT and I have the lowest 3-ADIOL-G of anyone here - AND NOW: PEYRONIES

http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3941

Checked out the sites. It's a chicken or the egg debate here but they are definitely linked. I think our best bet is to bandaid the things we can (following your lead with cortisol treatment) and hopefully the body will catch up. I have lost all hope for ever removing this treatment from my life because my body just doesn't regulate anything properly, the only question now is what to start with first.

Yup, the link is there for all of us to see. Why is it though that we can't locate any Propecia suffferers that have had the procedure to address fixing the vaircocele? I have an apt to address this issue, but I'm really having a hard time envisoning myself pulling the trigger on having surgery. I don't have much respect for doctors anymore and I have just as little trust that they are looking out for our welll being.

However this condition is the most reasonable explanation I have seen on this website to explain the loss of sensation when having sex.

I have the atrophy and enlarged vein feeling, and recognise the 'feels like a bag of worms' sign. Needless to say this all happened after I crashed, varicocele signs appeared not long after the initial shrinkage. This drug truly is a cluster fuck.

_________________
Donate to the PFS Foundation or remain a eunuch for forty years, choice is yours.

http://www.pfsfoundation.org/donate/

Is a large vein on the penis a sign of a varicocele? I have a very large pronounced vein on my unit.

Also, regarding this topic one of the key indicators of a varicocele is a throbbing pain in the left testicle when sitting or standing for long periods of time. I never made this connection regarding having the pain when sitting until this topic came up on this forum. If I sit in a chair for more than 45 minutes my left nut starts throbbing. Over 90% of varicoceles are in the left nut.

I just don't like treatment options for dealing with this.

Here's some guys talking about varicoceles and a correlation to testosterone levels as well.http://www.pegym.com/forums/beginners-forum/6315-varicocele-repair-other-problems.html